When I Became A Herbalist

Truly it is an exaggeration to refer to myself as a herbalist, though I can honestly state that I dabbled in herbal medicine early on, after I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I am of the opinion that herbal therapy helped me - at least for a short time - and therefore would like to share my experience with others who may be wondering if an alternative to prescription medicine might not be worthwhile.

The year was 1993, it was a typically warm day in July, but once I heard the words that would change my life forever, “you have Multiple Sclerosis”, there was a distinct chill in the air. The kind of coldness that made me feel I was suddenly alone in a dark place and needed to protect myself from an unknown monster intent on ruining my life.

As is often the case with people newly diagnosed with a disease, I was not ready to accept or believe MS had entered my being. I floated between wanting to believe a mistaken diagnosis had been made, to assuring myself that if the diagnosis was true then surely there was something I could do about it to make the MS go away.

The advice I received from my neurologist was simply, “avoid hot showers” which of course made little to no sense to me at the time.

“What did hot showers have to do with a disease that was causing me severe dizziness?” I wondered.

Judy Graham

Finding no comfort or solace with his treatment suggestion, I set about learning as much as I could of this strange disease. I became determined in my effort to figure it out in order to overcome it.

Eventually my reading lead me to an alternative option to approaching MS. I was thrilled! The approach made so much sense to me.

“If I have an autoimmune disease, then all I have to do is strengthen my autoimmune system and problem solved”, I confidently assured myself. I decided the self-help approach was a stroke of brilliance that would benefit me greatly.

I will never forget discovering the writings of Judy Graham. Back in the 90’s, her book was the only book that seemed written just for me. I set out devouring all the information I thought applied to me and decided I would go the herbal route to enhance what was obviously a weakened immune system.

My husband and I set off to a well-known herbal store in Philadelphia. I had a detailed list of the herbs I was told to purchase and as I read the items off to the clerk behind the counter, I remember he looked at me and said, “what are you trying to do?” “I have MS” I replied. I was surprised when he nodded at me and assured me I would feel better as a result of my purchases.

Why I took comfort in the opinion of a store clerk is still beyond my total understanding

I suppose the truth is I felt maybe others with MS had tried Ms. Graham’s suggestions and their MS improved as a result, and this clerk was aware all this had occurred, which is why he was giving me the figurative thumbs-up.

Feeling buoyed by his nod of approval, I gathered my herbal purchases and we returned home where I began taking the suggested supplements at the suggested dosage.

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A Noted Improvement

It didn’t take long before I began feeling better and stronger.

“It works!” I triumphantly declared.

“I’m cured” is what I believed deep down inside. I was feeling better. I wasn’t as dizzy any more. I had more energy. What more could I ask for? If all I had to do was take some pills everyday, it would be a piece of cake to comply.

What it Means to Remit and Relapse

It wasn’t long after my non medical prognosis that I learned what having relapsing/remitting MS meant.

If your symptoms happen to remit while you are trying a new therapy, you naturally assume it is the therapy that is helping you. In reality, it may or may not be the therapy.

Whether you take something new or not, you will feel better when MS remits. Clinically the only way to prove a therapy is helping is to do double-blind studies and measure with scientific accuracy the rate of relapses and remittances.

So, herbal remedies have often been labeled anecdotal. Word of mouth insists such therapies are successful, but scientific proof is often not available.

The medical community is reluctant to legitimize herbal therapy by attesting to its benefits, especially when there are so many prescription drugs available that have supposedly been checked and given the green-light from the FDA and other reliable watch groups.

While improvement has occurred in acknowledging some benefits, it is not hard to deduce herbal remedies are not given the same credence as prescription medication.

Noted Exceptions to the Above

Evening Primrose Oil, Vitamin E, Vitamin D, and Omega 3 Fatty Acids seem to be standards now in good healthy options. They stand out in my memory as being part of my regiment back in the 90’s, unfortunately I can’t remember too much more of what I took.

My primary care physician did not object to my herbal remedy, as he combined both prescription drugs with natural substitutes whenever possible. He only cautioned me about amounts I took of certain supplements.

Would I Recommend Herbal Remedies?

I remember being in attendance at a MS conference where herbal supplements were being discussed and the dominant consensus seem to suggest that herbal supplements certainly did no harm when used in moderation, so if one found them helpful, they should keep using them. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but still better than being told it was nonsense to believe herbal remedies could help with MS.

To this day, I still do not know for sure whether my MS remitted on its own, or if the herbal supplements made me feel better. In my mind it was probably a little of both.

I do remember feeling totally run down, as though my body had nothing with which to fight the MonSter when first diagnosed. After beginning the herbal and vitamin supplements, I noticed a marked improvement in my physical energy level. I attribute that to the supplements. Whether my symptoms would have relapsed of their own accord or not, I still would not have enjoyed the energy the supplements provided.

That feeling of well-being subsided too quickly for my taste. I remember feeling my system didn’t feel like it needed the supplements any more, as I was no longer noticing any difference when I swallowed the pills.

It wasn’t long until I was off to the next big discovery and back on the prescription pills path in an effort to control the unpredictable symptoms MS hit me with every few months.

Thinking back though, I remember my stint with a herbal remedy as a positive experience. It enabled me to feel I was in control and could figure out how to cure my own disease by consulting the advice of others. Some 16 years later I now know that empowerment was more a case of what I needed to tell myself rather than what was actually the case, still that lesson remains with me to this day and I try not to close my mind off to alternative therapies, if they are within my personal comfort range.

I think being willing to learn has helped me adjust to MS. I think it has also enabled me to accept the fact that I cannot will the disease away any more than I willed myself to have MS to begin with.

Finally

I conclude with whatever my opinion is worth (0.02 cents give or take) that if it works for you that’s what matters most. Keep searching and be willing to try combinations when you deal with a disease like MS. No two people deal with MS in the same way, so get to know your body and what enables it to fight your disease successfully.